HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! FREE
FRIDAY • NOVEMBER 24, 2017
TELLING THE TRUTH FOR 12 YEARS!
Tenth Annual Tribute and BBQ for First Responders
VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24
Arson Fires on La Tuna Canyon
Residents take a minute to put out grass fires off of La Tuna Canyon Road by
The All Nations Church held its 10th anniversary tribute to First Responders with a combination of Korean BBQ and the world-famous Phil Tabbi Tri-Tip BBQ. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez welcomed everyone and participated in the awards program. More than 400 people attended and had a great time.
David DeMullé
There was another arson fired Brush-Fire that was called in about 4:00 pm Monday on the Eastbound 210 freeway near the La Tuna Canyon on-
ramp. There were two fires burning when citizens stopped their cars and set out to extinguish them with shovels, wet blankets and water bottles. They were about see Arson, page 10
I N S I D E : Elected Reps Call The Joyous, Solemn Event
Leech Valley, Part 2 ................
Community Together
At Two-Strike Park
2
Legion Post 377 Rocks ................ Crime Stats ................
9 9
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger open the meeting. by
DEPARTMENTS Foothills Happenings............. 2 View from the Rock.............. 3 Letters to the Editor.............. 3 Legion Post Calendar............. 4 Chef Randy........................... 5 Artfully Speaking.................. 5 Crime Stats......................... 10 Take My Card..................... 11
David DeMullé
A Town Hall meeting
was called together by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger to let residents know about what efforts the city and county are making to reduce the possibility of mud slides in the burn areas. There were Representatives
from the LAFD, LACo, LAPD and even animal services. The meeting went from mild to angry to mild as citizens voiced their opinions and wanted answers to what the agencies were going to and when. There were many booths with literature and during the meeting, information was presentsee Town Hall, page 3
Lt. Col David Worley salutes the colors at Two-Strike Park.
Bunting and flags were blowing in the warming morning as groups of revelers, were gathering at two-strike Park in La Canada last week. It looked more like a 4th of July get together than a solemn occasion. What made the 100-plus happy participants stand out were their American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars uniform caps,
hats with campaign pins and a steel drum filled with burning logs. This was the annual American Legion Veterans Day and Flag Retirement Ceremony. This year, flags that were to be retired were cut into strips of red white and blue and carried by the Boy and Cub Scouts as well as participants that brought their own Amerisee Colors, page 5
OVER 200 DISTRIBUTION SITES IN THE FOOTHILLS AREA
2 — FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
Community Help
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24
“Leech Valley”
by Amelia Part 2
A Gift of Time Can Change a Life! Amelia Anderson
rent then upped to the current $1,216. Until And you don’t even four months ago when have to wrap it! The paramedics took her to Christmas season ushthe hospital for COPD ered in a call for help. A which meant she fellow at McDonald’s re- couldn’t breathe. Now ferred my cell to a disencumbered by an oxytraught woman in her gen tank, her Medicare 60’s who tearfully snifHospital Insurance fled she had to move. hadn’t covered a 20% “When?” I inquired. “To- co-pay. After paying the night!” she snapped. hospital bill from her “Why,” I asked. “Cause $1,450 a month pension, they don’t want me no money was left for here.” It was 6:00 Satur- rent. Why wasn’t Sue reday night. I ascertained leased to her home? Disthis lady was released oriented, she needed help from a hospital to a with meals. Besides, it monthly transitional liv- could have been liened ing home. Rent was due and sold by now. “Let’s tomorrow. She wanted go!” We drove. It was a out. “Tell them you need big double wide located another night to pack and in Sylmar County. That’s you’ll move tomorrow,” why the rent jumped I said. “Meet me for $200 a month ten years breakfast at 10. I’ll buy.” ago when the mobile I was concerned for park sold. No protection this woman’s safety. This from LA Rent Control. was the fourth complaint Her mobile home was I had received about this still there with an inch of home. I was inquiring in- eviction papers plastered to licensing issues. And on the door. She had a so was Sue. She was couple business days left smart. Had worked for to file a response that government and had a might make her eligible bad habit -- of question- for a $1-5,000 payoff for ing. That’s why they leaving the park and her didn’t like her. She was mobile home. paying a thousand a The problem escalated month for a bedroom as I surveyed the baked suite housing three other landscape. Summer women with adjoining brought temperatures of bath. But the shower was a hundred degrees beatexcluded, use reserved ing down on the hot tin only for the male custoroof unprotected by a dian. He used the hall broken swamp cooler. A (guest) toilet and sink too small air conditioner and their shower. They was stuck in a window were to use the ladies but not where she slept. shower across the hall. The roof leaked to Not Sue. She committed mold? Along with cigathe Cardinal sin. She got rettes, no wonder she got caught in the shower! COPD. Figures bounced Over coffee, I learned in my head. Even if one Sue had lived for thirty could negotiate away years in her own mobile four months’ rent, she home, initially paying couldn’t afford to live $250 a month for space see Gift, page 8 by
Amelia Anderson is a Homeless Advocate elected to both the SunlandTujunga Neighborhood Council and also to Mayor Garcetti’s Homeless Committee.
by John Blue
But sweaty, jumpy, feverish me now looked just like them! If I sat over there, I may also get locked up! Yet freedom was just a few feet away after a simple signature, then a walk through a doorway onto a civilian street with cars rushing by. Newly discharged “ex-GIs” were yelling and running out of the hangar’s metal door while tossing off their uniforms! I turned back, leaned over and signed papers stating I wasn’t war ill or injured. I walked 20’ behind the tables then through a cheap metal doorway into snowy Seattle streets in my canvas jungle boots. All my belongings were in a duffle bag on my shoulder. As I sloshed through snow I thought: “Oh well, it’s probably just some cold I’d gotten.” Wrong! I had drenching debilitating fevers that never faded for the rest of my life, and totally ruined it. For I broke into stinky sweaty fevers every 2 months like clockwork, then had to lie down for 2 weeks until they disappeared for 2 months, when they began again. Hence, I couldn’t get a good job, buy a nice house, find a girlfriend, get married, go to Law School on my GI Bill, then work as a Public Defender – all my dreams since I was 15! Instead, I lived for years, as many ill vets, on low paying manual jobs or in poverty. Worse, in all those decades, no damn doctor I visited figured out my Jungle Fevers! By 2008, after years of suffering I was just worn out, and finally near to dying. So I went to the new and vastly improved VA and said: “I don’t mind dying, but by God before I go, I just have to know what in hell is this Jungle Fever I’ve suffered from since 1972?” Someone at the VA finally said: “Well, how about you seeing the Head Doctor
of our Infectious Disease Ward? Okay?!” Duuhhh! And so, I met the great and brilliant Dr. G. who after many more blood tests said exactly this, and I will remember his words to my dying day: “You know, John, I actually sat and looked at all your blood test and charts for almost 40 minutes of my life -- and I found it!” He was mocking most doctors, who as people know, only give you 10 rushed minutes of their time! Not this sensible Midwesterner! He was so cool he had even refused to join the A.M.A., saying they were mostly insurance hacks only into medicine for the money. (Oh! Did I mention he was also a full Professor at one of the most prestigious Universities in the country? His internet CV and Resume contain five pages of national and international awards for his medical brilliance. Yet he is not ashamed to remain a friend to a simple GI -- me! We still talk!) Anyway, he went on, getting angrier and angrier: “You are in South East Asia where it is endemic! You are wading in the rice paddies where they use **** to fertilize their crops! You are in the jungle for weeks on end with open cuts and sores, with no showers! You are exposed daily to the single most common bug over there – and no one tested you for TYPHOID FEVER in all these past years?! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!” And there it was! They had not done the easiest and most basic medical exams on me. I had a simple problem that had a simple solution, which could have altered my life in every way and for the better. But no! Almost every doctor preferred to quickly tell me my fevers were all in my head! This rather than do their job -- as I had done mine in Vietnam. For
decades they went home with paychecks, while I went home with none. And that is how I lost my youth, middle and old age to “LEECH VALLEY.” One type of bloodsucker took my blood, and another type did not bother to… ? THE END ? REFERENCE: In the summer of 2017, I found and bought the amazing book “WHERE WE WERE IN VIETNAM” by Michael P. Kelley. In it I found my “LEECH VALLEY” where little wiggly things changed my life forever, as I ended theirs. I hope this absolutely true tale will spark some of my fellow vets to give the new and actually improved VA another chance. And give themselves one, too! Please go get checked out for whatever ails you, then go check out this book! Its Vietnam vet author spent years researching it and he found every single place in Vietnam that we GIs had been to, or had set up any kind of base, even if for only a few days! It was an astonishing piece of research and was also dead accurate! Not even the U.S. ARMY had anything like it! How Michael P. Kelley did it, no one knows! Tragically, after he finished it, he killed himself. He still had PTSD over the death of his platoon C.O. medic pal. The book had a perfect description of “LEECH VALLEY” and placed it exactly where I remembered it was. I cried when I read it. You’ve no idea what a strange relief it was to me! see Leech page 4
THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 — 3
VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
I guess I was in complete denial about WHEN Thanksgiving was happening. In my mind it was always “next week!” And then overnight, it was here. This is a really nice time of year, the leaves are changing, the stores are ramping up for Christmas and the smell of the brush fires make you feel nostalgic for the wood fires you will be having in your fireplaces. But more than the smells, it is the season of people being friendly to each other. Well, most people. The haters just got to hate on the Facebook sites. But if that makes them feel good, that’s Okay, it gives them something to be thankful for. Michelle Ramage (Damage Ramage) has got to be feeling pretty good that the Rotary International District Governor hasn’t shut them down. And of course,
that would shut down the quirky 4th of July Parade. At the last equestrian fair at Orcas Park, I had a chance to talk to a lot of people. The consensus was that “There is no way in hell that I would bring my (horse), (Band), (Dancers), (Kids) – pick one or all to that parade with all the hooligans throwing water balloons and attacking our (horses) (kids) (marching band) (classic cars). Yup boys and girls, the illegal S-T Rotary club that can’t even get enough haters to join and pay their dues is probably on the way out. Every now and then I talk about what we had and lost. I guess that this time is no different. The Lion’s Club Watermelon Festival, Easter Festival, Blessing of the Animals, Old Timers Day and a few more I can’t remember clearly. The 4th
of July Parade was the highlight of the community. Local businesses used to create floats with their employees, service organizations went all out promoting their clubs. Everyone was happy. And then “age” set in. The “old ones” started to die off. The new ones were brought in just to collect their dues and keep their membership numbers legal. And there lies the problem. Organizations like the S-T Rotary club became populated with people that had no community feelings. It was just another clique of haters and self-serving people that wanted something to look good on their resumes. The Watermelon Festival went down the tubes when Sonia Tatulian became “treasurer” and money started disappearing. But that happens when Sonia gets involved. Yes boys and girls, our little town has turned
VIEW
ROCK into a quagmire of dis-service. But there is something that we can still be thankful for. It’s our semi-rural way of life. That is if can we survive the crazy drivers. The “Sunland-Tujunga, A Reality Show” is almost ready to print. It will be a fun read for most people. And for some people it will be a chronicle of how they helped destroy our community. And yes, you can really say that It was The Water!
Town Hall, from pg. 1
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ed on a video display. One of the most important slides was the one showing how to log on to “NOTIFY LA” which is the mass notification system the city uses to let people know when they are in a dangerous area or situation.
Prepare For an Emergency by Ed Castellanos www.superliked.com/profile/ed-castellanos
Emergency situations such as fire, extreme weather and power outages can happen without warning. By taking the time to prepare for a possible disaster now, you and your family will be equipped to handle a crisis if one ever occurs.
Fire Escape Route and Meeting Spot It can take a mere five minutes for a fire to engulf your entire home. This is one reason having an escape plan is so important. Include at least two exit routes in your plan in case one is
blocked, and designate a safe location for everyone in your household to meet. Identifying a secondary location outside your neighborhood is good to have in the event it’s not safe to return or you’re asked to evacuate.
List of Emergency Contacts Make laminated cards with a list of important phone numbers for each family member. This see Prepare, page 10
Edgar Castellanos BRE# 01855534
LAHOMES247.com
661-510-5762
4 — FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
Social Security Matters
Ask Rusty:
Survivors Benefit vs.
Retirement Benefit
tirement benefit amount, so I’m unclear about when or whether to consider switchDear Rusty: ing from survivor’s benefits I am a 58-year-old widow, to benefits based on my born in 1958. My husband, own work record. Please born in 1953, was collecthelp me figure out the best ing Social Security Disabil- way forward. ity benefits when he died, Signed, worked throughout his lifeA Survivor time and had earned enough credits to be eligiDear Survivor: ble for regular Social Secu- You already know that rity benefits had he lived you’re not eligible for long enough. I know I can survivor’s benefits until start collecting survivor’s you are 60 years old, and benefits at age 60, but I’m your plan to continue not sure if that’s smart beworking after that does, cause I’d like to keep work- indeed, add a wrinkle. ing and I’m not sure if While you will be eligiworking would affect my ble to begin survivor’s widow’s benefits. I should benefits at age 60, the also mention that I don’t benefit you receive will have the full 35 years work- be reduced to 71.5% of ing that Social Security us- what you would receive es to calculate my own resee Survivors, page 11 AMAC-Certified Social Security Advisor Russell Gloor by
Chef Randy’s New Cookbook Is a Great Holiday Gift
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24
Leech, from pg. 2 For at long last “LEECH VALLEY” was proven to exist for me, and now for others! The leeches there really did hunt down humans to suck blood and give deadly fevers! My 40 years of selfdoubt, sorry-assed doctors, and VA denial were over! “LEECH VALLEY” was exactly where I remembered it, and was now documented forever -- as were those deadly chasing leeches and what they did to us! I write story up now hoping it might help other vets who also suffered from strange war fevers, ills and self-doubts about them. THEY MIGHT BE REAL AFTER ALL! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GET CHECKED OUT IN THE NEW VA!
(Thank-you blessed Sgt. Michael P. Kelley, and RIP! You brought me great peace after 40 years of lazy doctors, VA mockery, and my own self-doubt. I hope you found yours. -- JB) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHERE WE WERE IN VIETNAM -- A Comprehensive Guide to the Firebases, Military Installations, and Naval Vessels of the Vietnam War 1945-75” By Michael P. Kelley, Hellgate Press (2002), Ashland, OR. $40. ~ See page 294 ~ “LEECH ISLAND” (map coordinates YC 834-997) A 4 x 1.5 km island in Song Ta Trach River (south fork of Perfume River), approximately 22 km SSE of Hue City and 26 km due West of Q Phu Loc, a Fire Support
Base “Rifle” there. To its SW was the home of 5th North Vietnamese Army Regiment in 1969. Possibly named for its shape or for its dense population of what US Troops called Dry-Land Leeches or Tree Leeches, that lived in trees and wet grasses, rapidly moving towards their prey when sensing heat in motion similar to that of the inch worms. Was a smaller and more ubiquitous leech than its waterborne cousin, though both were equally dreaded by troops in the field. Thua Thien province, I Corps. “LEECH VALLEY” (map coordinates AT 8-6) Along Song Lo Dong River, approximately 17 km SW of Da Nang City (and major U.S. Air Force base). Quang Nam province, I Corps.
For videos and other stories, please visit:
http://facebook.com/thefoothillspaper Movie Review: Daddy’s Home Bob Garver
stepdad to a girl that his new wife Karen “Daddy’s Home” (Alessandra Ambrosio) was one of the worst had with Roger (John movies of 2015. I took Cena). Four kids, five two hours out of my parents, and for this Christmas Day to cringe movie we’re adding two through an obnoxious grandparents. John Lithfeud between a doting gow is Brad’s dorky dad stepdad (Will Ferrell) Don and Mel Gibson is and an underactive Dusty’s estranged father biological father (Mark Kurt. Since the movie Wahlberg) over the love promises to be about of their shared kids. daddies, the majority of Because that movie had the screen time goes to a cushy holiday opening, Brad, Dusty, Don, and it made enough money Kurt. to warrant a sequel. In short, Kurt gets the “Daddy’s Home 2” is feud between Brad and somehow even worse, Dusty going again. He making me appreciate thinks that the best way the few things the origi- to solve any conflict is nal did right that this one to fight, so he serves as My new cookbook, Ojai Valley Slow Cooker Cooklacks. As it stands, this an instigator at every book, is now available on-line at Amazon for $14.95. In movie is a Madea Halopportunity. He likes to addition, I will have two local book signings as follows: loween away from being get the two arguing, and the worst movie of 2017. then saying “Are you • Saturday, November 25th, at Bookends Just a quick recap going to take that?” He Bookstore and Curiosities in Meiners Oaks, on the families: Brad also thinks they’re too from 2pm to 4pm (or a little more) (Ferrell) and Sarah soft in their approach (Linda Cardellini) have to parenting, and that • Sunday, November 26th, at Ojai Coffee Roastone son of their own, Dusty especially needs ing Company in Ojai, from 2pm to 5pm. and Brad is stepdad to to be more hard-nosed. Sarah’s son and daughter He wants his grandkids Eat well. Eat local. Eat Fresh! that she had with Dusty hunting turkeys, bowling – Randy (Wahlberg). Dusty is without bumpers, and by
approaching crushes in a way that constitutes sexual harassment. Brad and Dusty think he needs to start living in the 21st century, but they also feel a need to impress him. Another round of one-upsmanship ensues, with Kurt’s respect on the line as well as the kids’. Eventually a lesson is learned about how they’re all being stupid and the important thing is that they function as a cohesive family unit. The movie is consistently painful, especially when Ferrell’s brand see Daddy’s Home, page 8
THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 — 5
VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
Irish Cheese & Guinness Extra Stout Beer Bread
Ingredients: is even better than my Irish Soda Bread. Spread 2¾ cups sifted all pur Here’s a recipe our son, a 1-inch slice, while still pose flour 3 tablespoons granulatRobert, sent to me on St. warm, with Irish butter ed sugar Paddy’s Day. I’ve modi- and enjoy with a proper 1 tablespoon baking fied it a little so that the cup of tea. see Cheesy Beer Bread, page ? taste is pure Irish. This by
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tional Guard before he came to the Crescenta can flags to the park for a Valley High School. The memorial was set proper and dignified reup earlier in the day and tirement. It was a beautian honor guard vigil was ful day. held from noon to 2 p.m. The program began when the ceremony began with the pledge of allegiance and the singing of to draw people toward the front of the memorial’s the “Star-Spangled Bancenter. This year, the prener” by an elementary school student that belted sentation was directed to those women who served out the words like a in our armed forces, in the grown-up diva. present and in the past. Lt. Col. David Worley, with the Crescenta Valley Congressman Adam Schiff gave a dedication High School Junior Air and honored the seven Force ROTC, spoke of WWII servicemen from the commitment it takes La Crescenta and Glento be an ROTC commander and the amount of dale, four of whom were in attendance to receive years he served in both the US Air Force and Na- their certificates.
Colors, from pg. 1
6 — FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24
Verdugo Hills Liquor Store 7119 Foothill Boulevard
Shawarma House is now serving Burgers, Fries & Pizza!
VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 — 7
NOTICE TO CONSUMERS: The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 ensures that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use cannabis for medical purposes where medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit from the use of medical cannabis. Recommendations must come from an attending physician as defined in Section 11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code. Cannabis is a Schedule I drug according to the federal Controlled Substances Act. Activity related to cannabis use is subject to federal prosecution, regardless of the protections provided by state law.
8 — FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24
it crushes Dusty’s car, and other tired pratfalls every other minute. The bad parenting is one of those things that’s worse here than in the first movie. Brad previously had a responsibility to him that somewhat balanced out Dusty’s style-without-substance. Here, everything he does is wrong, from dating advice to fighting in public to cheaply dragging Roger into the family conflict so Dusty
will be unnerved. Actually, none of the father figures in this movie are very good at parenting, maybe the idea is that the five need to work together to bring out the one good parent they have between them? If that is the case, then the math is off, because with these characters, there’s maybe a third of a good parent between them. “Daddy’s Home 2” is an ugly movie about people who need a
longer capable of making decisions but incapable here. The trailer needed of living with accumulatmaintenance and insured dust. She appeared to ance; while her automo- weaken. A neighbor apbile needed the same... peared with a note postplus licensing. And food ed on the door a month and incidentals. And ago. “Sue, come live with yearly rent increas- with me!” Sally was a es of 3% that’s $42.00... friend, younger and a lishe was oblivious. That’s censed caregiver. Breathnot including laundry ing in a sigh of relief, I which used to be across phoned acceptance. Sally the street, but was reneeded money because moved the same year her little dog was at the they sold, raised the rents Vet’s with a $2,000 bill. and cut down the trees. With a heart that big, you Folks moved. A fellow just have to love her huconjectured, maybe they manity. want people to move, be- Shifting to action, Sue cause the park is located gathered valuables. I by the freeway and it spoke to the owner and would be worth more as requested one more night an industrial park! at the transitional living Then Sue opened the home. Monday morning door and I was floored. found us at court filing a She was a hoarder. No response. The rent had
increased yearly for thirty years while services had simultaneously decreased. I rounded up a couple guys, and by late afternoon we moved Sue out of the transitional home and into Sally’s stream shaded digs. At only $750 a month for two, Sue gleefully wrote a check in full. They piled into Sue’s car and Sally dropped off the check to management on their way to unransoming her dog. The moral to the story is...common sense. Anybody can do it. Try it and write in your own story. And remember in this Holiday season...a gift of time can change a life!
Daddy’s Home, from pg. 5 of comedy is involved. Brad can’t do anything right, both in terms of being a klutz and being a bad parent. The klutz part hasn’t changed much from the first movie, this time sees him get whacked in the face by a tetherball, violently crash a snow tube, get Christmas lights caught in a snowblower, chop down a “Christmas tree” so that
Gift, from pg. 2
serious lesson in maturity. Even more than the characters, the film itself needs to grow up, given the reliance on lowbrow humor. This is a movie that loves its “family members kissing on the mouth” gags, not to mention the characters’ overall inability to behave like they’ve been trained to function in polite society. I was prepared for an annoying experience, and this movie managed to sink
even lower than my expectations. Be a good Daddy or Mommy and take the family to see something better. Grade: D “Daddy’s Home 2” is rated PG-13 for suggestive material and some language. Its running time is 100 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.
Merry Christmas, Amelia
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(818) 273-9615
VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 — 9
Sunland-Tujunga Crime Stats Robbery 11/13/17 01:10 PM 10400 BLOCK OF MOUNT GLEASON AV Robbery 11/13/17 11:30 PM 8600 BLOCK OF FOOTHILL BL
Theft 11/10/17 12:15 PM 7000 BLOCK OF APPERSON ST
Theft 11/07/17 12:30 PM 11000 BLOCK OF N TRAIL RD
Burglary 11/09/17 07:53 PM 3500 BLK FOOTHILL BLVD
Burglary 11/07/17 08:30 PM 10200 BLOCK OF IRMA AV
Theft 11/11/17 06:00 PM 00 BLOCK OF TUJUNGA CANYON BL AND APPERSON ST
Theft 11/09/17 08:00 PM 9700 BLOCK OF CREEMORE DR
Theft 11/06/17 02:00 AM 9100 BLOCK OF SUNLAND BL
Theft 11/09/17 09:00 PM 6900 BLOCK OF DAY ST
Theft 11/10/17 03:00 AM 9900 BLOCK OF LANARK ST
Other 11/09/17 02:38 PM 12900 BLOCK OF W FOOTHILL BLVD
Theft 11/06/17 04:00 AM 8800 BLOCK OF WENTWORTH ST
Assault 11/11/17 04:30 PM 7900 BLOCK OF GLENTIES LN
Theft 11/09/17 09:00 PM 10100 BLOCK OF OLIVIA TR
Robbery 11/11/17 11:00 PM 9900 BLOCK OF PINEWOOD AV
Theft 11/08/17 07:00 PM 10700 BLOCK OF NASSAU AV
Theft 11/10/17 11:00 PM 10200 BLOCK OF SCOVILLE AV
Other 11/08/17 05:33 AM FOOTHILL BLVD / LOWELL AV.
Theft 11/10/17 02:00 AM 10500 BLOCK OF HILLHAVEN AV
Burglary 11/07/17 08:30 PM 10200 BLOCK OF IRMA AV
Robbery 11/13/17 10:05 AM 10200 BLOCK OF TUJUNGA CANYON BL Theft 11/12/17 11:00 AM 10100 BLOCK OF COMMERCE AV
Assault 11/06/17 11:59 PM 10000 BLOCK OF SAMOA AV Burglary 11/06/17 02:00 AM 9100 BLOCK OF SUNLAND BL Burglary 11/05/17 03:00 PM 10600 BLOCK OF OLIVE GROVE AV Burglary 11/03/17 02:35 AM 8600 BLOCK OF FOOTHILL BL *Remember, these incidents are what were reported by the LAPD.
American Legion Post 377 Rocks
Attention All Veterans, Sons, Daughters and Wives of Veterans
Come and Enjoy your local American Legion Post Help support Veterans and Veterans’ Causes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you man enough for this “Fru-Fru” drink? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
American Legion Post 377
10039 Pinewood Ave., Tujunga
( 81 8 ) 3 5 3 - 9 8 5 6 Events open to the public
Canteen Hours - 7 days a week, 2- 10 p.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For Hall Rental, call Commander Dan at (818) 521-1137
The American Legion Post 377 really has something for everyone. From having an annual community Haunted House, the hosting of a quinceanera, to holding a tribute to our local first responders, to having an annual community Thanksgiving with live bands, and for just being there for someone to talk to, the Legion is there for you. And if you are a veteran, remember “You Are The Legion!”
10 — FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
WTF?
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24
Arson, from pg. 1 20X20’ in size and the flames were extinguished before the LAFD arrived. https://goo.gl/maps/U1RcEZR8Xq62 The LAFD then put out the hot spots and called a knock-down in about 10 minutes.
First responder Doc puts out one segment of the fire on the 210E.
For those of you that wanted more cops on patrol - you’ve got them. Now if we could just arrest those “paper plate” drivers.
Cheesy Beer Bread, from pg. 5 powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 12-ounce bottle Guinness Extra Stout beer 4 ounces Kerrygold Reserve Cheddar Cheese (grated) ¼ cup chives (chopped) ¼ cup Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter (melted)
melted butter evenly over top of the dough. Bake about 30 minutes then scatter the remaining cheese over the top. Return the loaf to the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 Directions: minutes before serving. Preheat oven to 375 Note: Any beer will do degrees. Butter a 8 1/2but a good Irish stout is x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. best for true flavor. Also, In a mixing bowl, thor- the Kerrygold Reserve oughly whisk together Cheddar is a bit bitter the flour, sugar, baking when baked but I like it. powder, and salt. Pour If you aren’t a fan of rein the beer and mix until ally sharp cheddar, subthe dry ingredients are stitute a sharp cheddar evenly moistened. Fold (or regular cheddar) of in 3/4 cup of the cheese your choice. Tillamook and the chives. makes a good one. Any Transfer the batter to butter will do but Irish prepared pan. Pour the butter is velvety good.
Firefighter from Company 74 puts finishing touches to the 210 E fire.
Emergency, from pg. 3 might include contact information for the local authorities and emergency services as well as your nearest relatives. Home Safety Items Be prepared in case an emergency does occur by having these home safety items: • Fire Extinguisher — Keep one on each floor,
Fire fighters hose down the third fire in two days on the La Tuna Canyon on-ramp.
and check them annually to make sure they’re functioning properly. • First-Aid Kit — Store it in a central location, such as the kitchen, and make sure everyone knows where it is. • Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors — Install detectors in each room and test them once a month. Use long-life lithium batteries to cut back on replacements.
• Food and Water — Put together a three-day supply of nonperishable foods and at least three gallons of water for each member of your household. There’s often very little time to react in a crisis. But with a little planning and prep work, you can be well-equipped and ready to respond accordingly.
SWEET CHERRIE’S DINER Only the finest, freshest ingredients are used to create the ultimate OMELET.
Our CLUB SANDWICH is sliced turkey, crisp bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo on three slices of lightly toasted bread.
BREAKFAST SERVED ALL DAY
Dine-in / Take-out / Catering for any occasion
THE BEST OMELETS IN TOWN! Waffles, Charbroiled burgers
Our CHARBROILED BURGER is rich, high-quality beef, lettuce, cheese, pickles, anyway you want it for every mouth-watering bite.
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK: M-F: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sat 7 a.m. -5 p.m. • Sun 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.
(818) 353-0465 8236 Foothill Blvd., Sunland
THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 — 11
VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
The actual amount of your survivor’s benefit will be based upon your if you wait until your deceased husband’s priwidow’s full retirement age (FRA). Note too that mary insurance amount (the amount of benefit he as a widow, your full retirement age is 4 months would have been entitled to at his full retirement earlier than the normal FRA for someone born in age) and the age at which you apply for survivor’s 1958, 66 years and 4 benefits. Even if you are months vs. 66 years and 8 months for the normal. still working, there’s no In the immediate future advantage to waiting beyond your FRA to start I suggest you focus on eliminating some of those survivor’s benefits bezero-salary years in your cause the maximum survivor’s benefit is reached 35 year work record beat FRA. Whenever you cause they will reduce the Social Security bene- apply for your survivor’s fit you will be entitled to. benefit you will need to apply in person at your You said you want to Social Security office, continue working, and and you should be speciffor each year you work ic that you are applying now one of those zero only for survivor’s beneyears will be eliminated and your benefit amount fits, not your benefits based on your own work from your own work rerecord. cord will increase. If working provides enough If you choose to start money to keep you finan- collecting survivor’s benefits early and continue cially comfortable, then delaying the start of your to work, Social Security’s survivor’s benefit beyond “earnings test” could affect your benefit. Except age 60 will improve the reduction factor by about for the year in which you attain your FRA, Social 4.5% for each year you Security will take back delay, up to your FRA.
Survivors, from pg. 4
$1 for every $2 you earn above their annual earnings limit, which for 2017 is $16,920. Unlike survivor’s benefits which stop growing at FRA, the benefit available from your own work record will continue to increase if you wait beyond your full retirement age to start collecting it. In fact, your benefits from your own work record will increase by about 8% for each year you delay beyond your FRA, until you reach the maximum at age 70. A prudent approach might be to continue collecting your survivor’s benefits until some years past your FRA (but not later than 70) and allowing your benefit from your own work record to grow. Provided your own benefit is larger than your survivor’s benefit, you can then switch over to the higher benefit. In any case, do not wait past your FRA to start your survivor’s benefit, nor after age 70 to start your own retirement benefits.
Fresh Trees Arrive at Kathy’s the Day After Thanksgiving! We are a family-run business that has been selling Christmas trees for more than 30 years. We hand-pick our trees from a grower in Oregon. For special orders, we go out to the tree farm and select the perfect tree for that specific order. Our trees are as fresh as is possible. We don’t cut down our trees until two days before shipment. Our first shipment comes the week after Thanksgiving and the second shipment arrives two weeks later. We go to great efforts to keep our trees as fresh as possible. We keep them wrapped, sheltered and watered until they are sold. The trees standing in our lot always have water in their bowls. Almost all trees sell the same day they are stood up in the lot, so they are not exposed to the drying air for long before being purchased.
The types of trees we offer are Nordmans, Nobles, Grand Firs and Douglas Firs. We can handle trees of any size, but all trees must be specialordered. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for requests. Please call 818-353-5416 to place your order. We are one of the few Christmas tree lots in Los Angeles that does both fireproofing and flocking. All trees placed in a commercial building in the county of Los Angeles must be fireproofed. We also provide trees to churches, schools and local organizations. Our biggest tree is 30 feet high and can be seen in the city of Glendale’s city hall. We have competitive prices and great service.
Call (818) 353-5416 to order your tree!
12 — FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2017 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 24
An Empty Seat on Thanksgiving by
Alejandro Magallanes
I love the holidays. To me, the holidays are all about family. I have my wife, my two little boys and a baby girl who will be arriving before Christmas. I am excited! This is one of my favorite times of the year. I think that’s why I am having a difficult time processing our city’s traffic problems. As a member of the Safe Streets Committee, I don’t receive these traffic accidents in the same way the city of Los Angeles does: as bits of data, collected and organized to label us one of the most dangerous cities in the High Injury Network. No, I process our traffic information much differently. I see an empty chair at Thanksgiving dinner, a seat in which 17-year-old Christine Martinez would be sitting had she not been violently ejected from the rolling SUV that killed her. I imagine her family having a very difficult time being thankful during this holiday season. I see the surviving teenagers’ parents holding hands, deep in prayer, thankful that their children survived the crash, but distressed about how Christine’s death is going to impact their young souls. Will their kids suffer from “survivor’s guilt”? Will there be lawsuits prolonging and drawing out this traumatic incident? How will that community respond to the accident? With blame? Criticism? Will their children be able to handle all of this? I am not writing this to evoke sympathy from you or to play on your emotions; I am letting you know that these traffic accidents do not hurt just the ones who get carried off in an ambulance. Traffic collisions devastate an entire community of family and friends. This recent teenage traffic death will be in the news for a week, but the family will be suffering for the years to come. Maybe, if we recognize the lasting impact that these accidents have on the lives of the people we love, we will change the way we drive our vehicles in this town. Previously, the Safe Streets Committee met with Nat Gale, a transportation planner and engineer. (More can be found at https://m.facebook.com/Sunland-Tujunga-Safe-Streets-1093859640706916/?re f=bookmarks. ) He is the lead coordinator of Vision Zero and is well-educated on issues of traffic collisions and deaths. Do you know that the leading cause of death for kids between the ages 5 and 14 is traffic collisions? Nat emphasized that these deaths were collisions, not accidents. In other words, they can be avoided. “The fact is you are driving a weapon,” Nat explained. “You are driving a death machine.” Our recent tragedies are evidence of this. Soon, I will discuss the changes that will be coming from Vision Zero starting in January 2018. Until then, please be safe. Think about the lives you touch. Your car may feel like your own personal space, but the fact is that you’re sharing the road with millions of other Angelenos who want to make it home for the holidays. The photos on this page exhibit only a few of the traffic collisions our community has suffered recently. Several of these collisions resulted in fatalities. Please be the change you wish to see in this city. Watch your speed. Share the road. Like us on Facebook: Sunland-Tujunga Safe Streets.